HELP|Moving to the UK

[Nazar]

oh hell yes!

You are not being sarcastic, right?

[Nazar]

Perhapse there are other big cities in the UK you will find more appealing? I personally would rather live in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds etc..plus you would be able to find rents half the price and much better. London is too hectic.

True. Manchester was actually the city that popped up in my mind at first. Then someone told me that London is the best place for any new immigrant coz it's a bustling city with loads of job opportunities.

[HalloIsBack]

You are not being sarcastic, right?

i'm not!

[Haris]

Thank you everybody and specially, Mr. Haris, your input is really helpful.
All of your advices are very useful to me. It really gave me a very realistic insight of the British life - for an immigrant. I didn't want to be self-delusional about all the decencies of moving to the UK and always tend to look at the other side of the picture too. Haven't made a final decision yet, however, I have very little time on my hands before I give it a go or not. I am still weighing my options and it's really a painful dilemma. I wish I could explain on this public board that why can’t I simply choose to stay in Afghanistan/Pakistan.

I also watched Citizen or Stranger on Aljazeera, a documentary about the lives of immigrants in Europe, US and Canada. It occurred to me that at least Britain is more welcoming to immigrants than the rest of Europe. Also, I even explored some parts of Western London on Google Street View, i.e. Southall, and it was really persuading to see some Pakistani/Afghan men in Shalwar Kamees and the women wearing scarf and spotted some nice mosques as well. I also dug out some of the real estate websites in the UK like gumtree.com and rightmove.co.uk for rent rates in and around London – couldn't find a flat of 2 bedrooms (living in a house will be luxurious form me) any cheaper than 700 Pounds per month.
Sometimes, the fact that unlike most of the other Afghan immigrants, I will not be entering the UK illegally (mentioned earlier, it's a five years Special Immigrant Visa for me and my family), somewhat assures me that I may face lesser problems in my early days in the UK. I know people settle down after a while. But, is it really something that would make me any different from other fresh immigrants?

Again, thanks a lot.

You have a very good grasp of the English language and seem to be better prepared than most Afghans who come here. I'm sure you'll be fine and wish you luck no matter what course of action you take.

Also, yes, entering the country legally will put you in a far better position than being an illegal immigrant as it allows you access to a wider range of government help as well as jobs. You also don't have to worry about being deported when the inspectors come knocking round.

True. Manchester was actually the city that popped up in my mind at first. Then someone told me that London is the best place for any new immigrant coz it's a bustling city with loads of job opportunities.

Manchester is alright I guess if you can tolerate living in an area where everyone will spontaneously break into dance.



Ask Adam for more information on life in Manchester and dancing.